10 Health Products That Don’t Do What They Claim

People are obsessed with losing weight, looking great and living long. Americans spend billions of dollars each year on health products that claim to help them lose weight, look great and live long, but unfortunately so many of them are simply useless. Not to mention there are many harmful ingredients in almost all beauty products! The Federal Trade Commission is working hard against deceptive marketing and reveals false claims that have been presented as true. They charge companies that make such claims, but unfortunately more and more such products pop up from nowhere and it’s hard to keep up. In today’s article we’re going to present 10 health products that don’t do what they claim.

10. Sensa Salts

Sensa is a powder that contains tricalcium phosphate, silica and maltodextrin. It was marketed as a product that would help people slim down without diet or exercise. Right then and there people should have been suspicious. Nothing can help you lose weight, except diet and exercise. The claims were found to be unsupported by the Federal Trade Commission at the beginning of 2014.

9. POM Pomegranate

These products claimed that they could reduce, prevent and even treat the risk of developing heart disease, erectile dysfunction and even prostate cancer. POM was sued by the FTC and as a result they were forced to pull all the ads that were making these claims. Come on, people, pomegranate may be good, but if it had magical cancer curing properties, we would have known by now.

8. Reebok Toning Shoes

People are suckers for things that facilitate their workouts. For example, the Reebok Toning Shoes claimed that wearing them could tone, strengthen and sculpt your legs and bottom. All that just by wearing the shoes. Supposedly, they would make your calf and hamstring muscles up to 11% harder and your bottom up to 28% harder. Naturally, the company was sued by the Federal Trade Commission and as a result, $25 million dollars were refunded to buyers. Whenever you’re buying workout equipment, stay away from things that appear too good to be true.

7. The HCG Diet

This diet is by far one of the most dangerous diets out there. It involves taking the some hormones (the ones that women produce during pregnancy while severely restricting their calories). The company who backs this diet up says that these hormones stimulate weight loss. The FTC has called the HCG hormone an unproven human hormone and the FDA says the diet is associated with an increased risk of heart arrhythmias and gallstones.

6. Slimming Skin Cream

Yes, companies have marketed slimming creams and people all over the world bought into that. A cream, which can only penetrate the superficial layers of the skin, would make you lose weight. Outrageous, right?! Well, Nivea’s My Silhouette cream claimed just that. The FTC took notice and sued Nivea. They settled and Nivea agreed to pay $900,000.

5. Colotox Cleansers

Central Coast Nutraceuticals paid $6 million to their customers after the FTC determined that their claims surrounding their Colotox product were false. The colon-cleansing product was intended for cancer prevention, but obviously it failed to live up to its claims. Instead of popping pills, why not make better lifestyle choices and work out regularly?

4. Extenze

This one’s really something else. Extenze was a natural male enhancement product that was as false as Kim Kardashian’s… everything. The company paid $6 million to its clients who were disappointed that their penises didn’t increase in size after taking Extenze. Really? Who believes this claims?!

3. Hoodia

This cactus-like plant is known to curb hunger and thirst and was first used by African Bushmen when they went on hunting trips. Nutraceuticals International and Stella Labs were sued by the FTC not for making false claims (because this plant really does what it says it does), but for not using any hoodia plants in their hoodia products.

2. Activia

Some products really exaggerate things and facts. For example, Dannon was charged by the FTC in 2013 for deceptive advertising. The dairy company agreed to stop ads that claim daily ingestion of the yoghurt will relieve digestive irregularity and that DanActive will stop you from getting a cold or flu. Both products contain probiotics, which are known to improve digestive function, but not to the extent Dannon was claiming.

1. Acai for Weight Loss

Acai is a berry with a great flavor! It is chocolaty, rich in antioxidants, healthy fats and fiber. If you can find it on the market, dig it, as it is really good for you, but supplements containing Acai extracts have been touted as great aids for losing weight. Beony International and other 9 companies were stopped from continuing to make unsubstantiated claims, which included the outrageous acai supplements can help you lose 25 pounds per month. Who’s silly enough to believe that?!

Have you tried any of these health products that don’t do what they claim? Have you tried any products that claim to do something they don’t? Drop us a line in the section below and share your experience with us, we would love to hear from you!